When Brian and Debbie Thompson purchased their Washington Park-area house seven years ago, they knew that they had their work cut out for them. Now, with the Woodland Avenue home’s renovation nearly complete, the couple can take pride in a job well done.

The Thompsons keep a folder with “before” and “after” pictures of the circa-1919 classic colonial, showing visitors the progress they’ve made along the way. The home’s exterior — with siding in a period-appropriate hue called mountain sage and a grand new porch — makes it a neighborhood showplace.

That wasn’t always the case.

“When we bought the house it had white steel siding and baby blue shutters,” Debbie Thompson says with a chuckle and a bit of a shudder. “We tore off that white siding and the original wood, and then put up the Hardie fiber cement board.”

Later, they hired Rob Salefski of Landscaping Unlimited Inc. of Springfield to work his magic, bringing charm to the once barren front yard.

Because Brian Thompson has an electronics degree and works as a carpenter for Michael von Behren Builder, Inc., Debbie wasn’t surprised her husband has been able to tackle many of the renovations. Of course, it helps that Debbie’s sister and brother-in-law are Cheri and Mike von Behren and live close by.

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Debbie says she and Brian always have known that the house has “good bones.” She particularly likes that the main floor has a circular flow, making it easy for family and friends to move from one room to another. Visitors step through an exquisite arched entryway and immediately notice other similar doorways, original woodwork and the stairway with its new wrought-iron bannister and original wood railing.

A well-placed entry table with matching lamps further softens the front entry. Off to the right, the dining room features a built-in lighted corner curio cabinet and an abundance of windows. On the left, the well-appointed living room is equally eye-catching. To bring additional character to the front of the home, Brian and Debbie added crown molding to both rooms.

Debbie hired Springfield designer Jim Wilson to transform the living room into a comfortable area where the couple can relax by the fireplace, entertain guests or simply watch TV. There, Wilson’s touch is evident. The forest brown walls work well with white woodwork and the few pieces of artwork that adorn the walls.

Twin lounging couches flank the original brick fireplace and a fun fluffy white rug warms up the floor. A tall zebra-print-on-black table adds a touch of exotic interest.

“I wanted this living room to be functional,” says Debbie, who is a vice president in human resources at the Horace Mann Companies. “I don’t have a lot of paintings up yet and I don’t know that I will put any more up. I really don’t like a lot of ‘stuff’ around.”

Page 2 of 3 - When she does purchase items for the home she usually shops at West Side Stories in Springfield for tables and lamps and Home Goods in St. Louis for paintings and colorful vases.

Debbie likes to entertain in the kitchen — installed by Michael von Behren Builder — which features extensive maple cabinetry with a large, tall cherry wood bar. “The cabinets are eggshell in color with a mocha glaze on the perimeter,” she says. “The bar is coffee-colored with a black glaze.”

The Wilsonart countertops — a beveled-edge laminate in Milano quartz — have the appearance and shine of granite. Debbie explains that she and her husband are “tall people” so the countertops were raised a bit “to bar height” to suit them.

Both Brian and Debbie appreciate that the kitchen opens to the remodeled and columned family room with its wall of windows and cathedral ceilings. “When we bought the house, the family room was fairly small, so we added on 12 feet,” Debbie says. “It just makes everything feel open and it is roomy. I’ve had 60 people in this area.”

The guest bathroom, which is just off the kitchen, offers what Debbie calls “a pop of color.” A small space, the couple wisely chose simple plumbing fixtures. “This is the only bath we’ve redone in this house and I really like it,” she says.

Also in the kitchen area, Brian turned an old pantry into a cleaning and storage unit. “Look how he used a plastic shoe holder to make a place for the cleaning supplies,” Debbie points out. “That was a great idea. I would have never thought of it.”

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When she isn’t working, entertaining or taking care of household tasks, Debbie often gravitates to the home’s sunroom. The former screened-in porch offered one of the real challenges of renovating the home.

There were “structural differences,” Brian says. When he tore off the side sun porch, “it had to be completely demolished to properly tie it in with the original house with a cathedral ceiling.”

“It’s hard to believe that this was a little porch,” Debbie says, looking around the periwinkle-hued room. “We put in all new windows and we wanted it to appear to be bigger, so we gabled it. I just want to smile when I sit in this room.”

The upper story of the Thompson home features four bedrooms and two baths. The bathroom remodels are on hold because they also are working on a second “weekend and future retirement” home on Sunset Lake in Girard.

Debbie and Brian and their two cats — a 25-pound Maine coon named Dusty and a much more petite kitty, Cleo — feel right at home on Woodland. “Cleo is our hunter and lives both indoors and outdoors,” Debbie says of her pet. “She likes to keep down the ground squirrel population, especially around the von Behren’s pool area.”

Page 3 of 3 - For all the changes the Thompsons have made, Debbie feels they have “maintained the integrity” of the almost 100-year-old home. “We kept the original plaster walls and the original handrail and we still have the original oak floors. We have a lot of the glass doorknobs, too.”

With energy efficiency in mind, they installed 27 new Pella wood windows.

“I like that we were able to blend the old with the new,” Brian says. The house has only been home to five families, and at least one of the former owners occasionally drives by and comments on the changes the Thompsons have made.

The neighbors also appreciate all that they’ve done, Debbie says. “Especially when we got rid of the baby blue shutters.”

Being busy empty-nesters, Debbie and Brian are glad that their home is a manageable size.

“This isn’t a huge house,” Debbie concludes. “It’s just under 3,000 square feet and we use all of it. But thanks to my husband and everyone who has worked on it, it is a great place. This is my personal favorite of all the houses that I’ve lived in. We have good neighbors and it is pretty special to live right across the street from my twin sister, Cheri.”

About this feature

In each issue, we tour a local upscale home with style and a little something extra that makes it stand out. To make a suggestion, email editor Erin Orr at erin.orr@sj-r.com.